Fascinating food in New York and occasionally farther afield

Signage

As late as the 1950s, many New York gentlemen rarely went about bareheaded. By contrast this sign, probably exposed during construction, has been left uncovered, offering a tip of the hat to a restaurant-design fashion of today.

"Hecha por Neoyorkinos. Inspirada en el Caribe. ... A golden pilsner brewed with plantains." —Advertisement for a collaboration between Blue Point of Patchogue, Long Island, and Presidente of the Dominican Republic, seen in Upper Manhattan

"That's a shame, I like a bit of Parkin with a cup of tea." Owing to that comment on my Flickr photostream — by Neil C., whose profile photo features a classic British red pillar post box — I've gleaned that parkin is an oatmeal gingerbread, dense with treacle, that's especially popular in northern England. In return, might Neil enjoy a primer on "alternate side of the street"?

"Sweet" is the typical come-on that Chinatown fruit sellers apply to their handwritten signs. A few fruits are "very sweet"; some, merely "delicious." The moniker "Thailan[d] kiwi," however, seems to have been the invention of this one particular vendor. The fruit is known as chicozapote in Mexico and subtropical Florida, and by many other names — including chikoo, sapodilla, and sapota — around the world.

Its flavor mingles brown sugar and pear, Margret Hefner observes in Frutas y Verduras, with some of a ripe pear's granularity. Too bad that this one, like the rest of the batch, was rock-hard, and not nearly ripe. Ready to eat, it's considerably softer. Like a kiwi.

Streetside produce standNear the southeast corner of Mulberry St. with Canal St., Manhattan

Uncovered, at a street-food vendor outside Columbia University: Greek amphorae at a secondhand Chinese cart. Which classic has the longer tradition, the pottery or the hong shao rou?

Previously: a three-over-rice combo of green pepper and potatoes, "tofu noodles," and pig's ear with bamboo. Tasty, filling, but next time I'll swap the tofu for mustard greens, to add a little more color.

Even amid the fast-changing demographic of Hudson County, that's an unusual way to advertise a traditional diner menu of breakfast specials, club sandwiches, and plate dinners buttressed by potatoes and vegetables. I took these photos ten years ago; when I passed by recently, I saw that a decade's worth of sun, wind, and foul weather had faded and weathered the facade. But the promise still holds: "authentic American cuisine."

Many Dominican New Yorkers pronounce words such as "pastelito" and "pastel" almost as if the "S" were absent. Here, the spellings follow suit. But the roast pork filling of my pastel was unaffected — there's no "S" in "pernil."

Also shown: a tub of habichuelas con dulce, which I devoured in one go. (Moderation would have been wiser.) This confection, literally "beans with sweets," is an Easter favorite in the Dominican Republic; pasteles, which are beloved in Puerto Rico and prepared in several other Caribbean countries, are particularly associated with Christmas. In New York, both pasteles and habichuelas con dulce are readily available year-'round.